Corn starch

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/corn-starch

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Zea mays starch
2. What is the composition?Primarily amylose and amylopectin
3. What is corn starch made from?Corn starch comes from the endosperm of a corn kernel. It is a complex carbohydrate made of amylose and amylopectin, which are long chains of glucose.
4. How does corn starch thicken sauces and puddings?When you heat corn starch with water, the starch granules absorb water and swell. The amylose leaches out and forms a network that traps water, making the mixture thicker.

Amylose and Amylopectin: The two main types of glucose polymers that make up starch.
Gelatinization: The process where starch granules absorb water and swell when heated, thickening a liquid.
Electrorheological fluid: A fluid whose viscosity changes significantly when subjected to an electric field.